The Guide That Doesn’t
Jan. 7th, 2026 01:00 am![]()
Coworker: "Is that the guidebook they gave you at training?"
Me: "Yeah, they said I would need it when learning about the software."
Coworker: "Can I check it real quick? I need to remember what the real rules are, and which ones we as an office created out of trauma…"
(no subject)
Jan. 6th, 2026 07:59 pm“When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility: CPB’s final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.”
I'm glad I have a PBS Passport membership that supports my local station and I'm thinking about upping my monthly donation amount.
Did Tom Hanks confront Pam Bondi on '60 Minutes'?
Jan. 7th, 2026 12:47 amГраница участия / The Limits of Care
Jan. 7th, 2026 01:49 am
📝 Оригинальный текст записи
Сегодня хочу поделиться историей. Она произошла сегодня, но началась ещё летом 2022 года.
Вопреки внешним обстоятельствам я всё‑таки решился пройти обследование в военном госпитале. Успел буквально минута в минуту. В очереди я заметил знакомого человека в военной форме — девушку, служившую в части, с которой я начинал свой путь в армии.
Сначала я её не узнал: лицо было залито слезами, взгляд — пустой и уставший.
Немного предыстории.
Когда я только призвался, я попал в очень молодой коллектив. Многие были вчерашними студентами, кто‑то совсем юный. Тогда царила полная неразбериха: никто особо не смотрел ни на биографии, ни на навыки — нужно было просто закрыть вакантные места. Честно говоря, спустя четыре года ситуация изменилась не так уж сильно.
Коллектив был большим: молодые офицеры, простые матросы. По возрасту я был старше почти всех, кроме командира — он был примерно моего возраста. Многие приехали из других городов и сёл, и мне искренне хотелось помогать новым коллегам: с жильём, с бытом, с самыми простыми вещами. Один из них даже какое‑то время жил у меня.
Когда я освоился в работе и начал заступать на боевые дежурства, для меня стало важным знать свой состав и формировать рабочие смены. Мы все учились на ходу, но главным был результат и безопасность. Люди разные — к каждому нужен был подход. Не через приказы, а через понимание.
Среди моих подчинённых была и та самая девушка. Всё, что я знал о ней поначалу: она выходила из Мариуполя в составе группы, путь был тяжёлым. Поэтому я относился к ней и к тем ребятам особенно мягко. Но довольно быстро стало заметно: её состояние значительно тяжелее, чем у остальных. Я узнал, что её муж находится в плену.
В то время у меня было много знакомых волонтёров, достаточно влиятельных. Многие вопросы решались звонком. Видя её подавленность, я решил помочь — хотя бы узнать что‑то о нём. Мне удалось подтвердить, что он жив и официально числится в списках пленных. Я искренне подумал, что это хорошая новость.
Но она отреагировала почти безразлично.
Позже, изучив её дело глубже, я узнал, что она уже в третий раз была замужем. Все её браки — с военными — закончились драмой, и нередко с насилием, причём инициатором была она. Мне было её жаль. Я пытался поддерживать её, сглаживать углы — в том числе потому, что она должна была выполнять боевые задачи, а заменить её было некем.
В разговорах она признавалась, что не знает, чего хочет от жизни. Единственное, что понимала точно — она не хочет быть в армии. Возможно, возвращение в деревню было бы для неё спасением, но уволиться она не могла.
При этом, зная, что её муж в плену, я видел её беспорядочную личную жизнь. Это не моё дело — но мне было больно за того парня, который там, и ничего об этом не знает. Стало очевидно: для неё это не имело значения.
Многие относились к ней агрессивно, не понимая, насколько у неё нестабильное состояние. Я, по крайней мере, не допускал, чтобы у неё было оружие на моих сменах. От неё часто звучали слова о том, что жизнь для неё ничего не значит. Эти слова задели меня особенно — в войне они звучат опасно и глупо одновременно.
Я недолго служил в той части и позже перешёл туда, где мог применить свои морские гражданские навыки. До последнего я пытался поддерживать всех, но её — особенно.
Через год мне сообщили, что она попала в аварию: вместе с очередным случайным мужчиной на скорости около 170 км/ч они влетели в столб. Это уже было не в моей зоне ответственности — у неё был свой командир. Но её прежние слова о бессмысленности жизни снова всплыли у меня в голове.
И вот — спустя четыре года — я снова увидел её в госпитале. В форме. Я подошёл и спросил, как она. Чёткого ответа не получил. Она узнала меня первой, но избегала взгляда. Рядом были молодые ребята, сопровождавшие её к врачу — меня они узнали сразу.
Десяти минут общения хватило, чтобы понять: стало только хуже. Ей нужна была помощь психолога ещё тогда, а сейчас — скорее психотерапевта. Я сказал ей несколько слов поддержки — и меня вызвали на приём.
Когда я вышел, её уже не было.
Я знаю номер её командира, мог бы позвонить и настоять на помощи. Но меня об этом не просили. И, честно говоря, её состояние говорит ещё и о другом — она сама ничего не хочет менять. Это её право.
Находясь в госпитале и видя десятки, сотни искалеченных людей, такое отношение к жизни кажется мне циничным и эгоистичным.
Когда‑то я попытался помочь. Но если человек не просит, а лишь манипулирует ради внимания — любая помощь будет обесценена.
гда-то я уже пытался. Не формально, не для галочки — по-настоящему.
Я слушал, искал возможности, звонил, узнавал, брал на себя больше, чем должен был.
Но с годами я понял простую и неприятную вещь:
если человек не просит о помощи, а лишь требует внимания — любая помощь будет обесценена.
Иногда мы путаем сострадание с обязанностью спасать.
Но спасение без запроса превращается в насилие — над собой и над другим.
Человек имеет право не хотеть меняться.
Имеет право не ценить жизнь.
Даже если это больно видеть.
Я больше не беру на себя то, что мне не принадлежит.
Не потому что стал черствым, а потому что научился уважать границы — и свои, и чужие.
Иногда самый честный выбор — остановиться.
Note translated in assistance with AI.
Today I want to share a story. It happened today, but it began back in the summer of 2022.
Despite everything happening around me, I finally decided to go through medical examinations at a military hospital. I arrived exactly on time. While waiting in line, I noticed a familiar face in uniform — a woman who once served in the unit where my military service began.
At first, I didn’t recognize her. Her face was filled with tears, her eyes empty and exhausted.
A bit of background.
When I was first drafted, I ended up in a very young unit. Many had just graduated from university, some were barely adults. Back then, there was chaos — no one really paid attention to biographies or skills; vacant positions simply had to be filled. To be honest, four years later, not much has changed.
The unit was large: young officers, ordinary sailors. I was older than almost everyone, except for the commander, who was about my age. Many came from other towns and villages, and I genuinely wanted to help my new colleagues — with housing, daily life, basic things. One of them even lived at my place for a while.
Once I settled into my role and began standing combat duty, it became important for me to truly know my people and build working shifts. We were all learning, but results and safety mattered most. Everyone was different — each person required understanding, not orders.
That woman was among my personnel. At first, all I knew was that she had escaped Mariupol as part of a group. The journey had been hard, so I treated her and the others gently. But it soon became clear that her condition was much worse than the rest. I learned that her husband was in captivity.
At the time, I knew many volunteers with influence. Some issues could be solved with a phone call. Seeing her state, I decided to help — at least to find out something about him. I managed to confirm that he was alive and officially listed as a prisoner. I truly believed this was good news.
She reacted with indifference.
Later, after learning more about her case, I discovered this was her third marriage. All her husbands were military men, and none of the marriages survived. There was a lot of drama and even violence — often initiated by her. I felt sorry for her. I tried to support her, to smooth things out — partly because she still had to perform her duties, and there was no one to replace her.
In conversations, she admitted she didn’t know what she wanted from life. The only thing she knew for sure was that she didn’t want to be in the army. Returning to her village might have saved her, but leaving wasn’t an option.
At the same time, knowing her husband was in captivity, I saw how chaotic her personal life was. It wasn’t my business — but I felt pain for the man who was imprisoned and unaware of it all. It became clear that it didn’t matter to her.
Many treated her aggressively, unable to see how unstable she was. At the very least, I made sure she never had a weapon during my shifts. She often said her life meant nothing. Those words affected me deeply — during war, they are both foolish and dangerous.
I didn’t serve long in that unit and later moved to a position closer to the sea, where I could use my civilian skills. Until the very end, I tried to support everyone — her especially.
A year later, I was told she had been in a car accident. Together with another random man, they crashed into a pole at around 170 km/h. It was no longer my responsibility — she had her own commander. But her words about life being meaningless stayed with me.
Four years later, I saw her again in the hospital. In uniform. I asked how she was. There was no clear answer. She recognized me first but avoided my gaze. Young soldiers accompanying her seemed to recognize me immediately.
Ten minutes were enough to understand: things had only gotten worse. She needed a psychologist back then; now, probably a psychotherapist. I said a few words of support — and was called in by the doctor.
When I came out, she was gone.
I know her commander’s number. I could have asked him to intervene. But no one asked me. And honestly, her condition also shows something else — she doesn’t want to change anything. That is her right.
Standing in a hospital among dozens, hundreds of broken people, such an attitude toward life feels cynical and selfish.
I tried to help once. But when a person doesn’t ask for help and only manipulates for attention, any help will inevitably be devalued.
Being in a military hospital, among dozens and hundreds of broken bodies,
I felt especially sharply how cynical the phrase
“I don’t care whether I live or not” can sound.
In a place where people cling to every breath,
indifference to life stops being just a personal tragedy —
it becomes painful noise.
I am not a judge.
But I know one thing for certain:
help imposed on someone who is not ready to accept it does not heal — it only creates an illusion of care.
Once, I already tried.
And if a person does not want to move toward life,
no external voice can take that step for them.
Sometimes responsibility is not intervention —
but knowing when to step back.
Did Katie Miller post Greenland map overlaid with US flag, captioning it 'SOON'?
Jan. 6th, 2026 11:53 pmPolice arrested protester during interview about US action in Venezuela. Here's context
Jan. 6th, 2026 11:34 pmNo Man's Land: Volume 3
Jan. 6th, 2026 07:09 pmThe tale concludes! Spoilers ahead for the earlier two.
( Read more... )
Tuesday Top Five: Looking Forward (Again)
Jan. 6th, 2026 06:56 pmBut that doesn't mean that there's nothing in the fannish world to which I'm looking forward. Here are some of those things, in no particular order.
1. Finally reading and sending feedback for my
2. The return of
3. Receiving my beta reader's feedback on a Five Things fic that I wrote months ago for The Hypnotists, which is still my small fandom of choice
4. Reading Through Gates of Garnet and Gold, the latest installment in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series
5. Talking about Stranger Things with anybody who has also finished the series, because I have feelings
What are some of your fannish hopes and/or goals for 2026?
Fic: In the Demon's Claws
Jan. 6th, 2026 06:06 pmChapters: 1/1
Fandom: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Drizzt Do'Urden & Vierna Do'Urden
Characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Vierna Do'Urden
Additional Tags: Ensemble Cast, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Typical Violence, Resurrection
Summary:
Things in the Hall went slightly different, but still Drizzt chooses the road, and learns of one more quest.
In the Demon's Claws
Drizzt Do'Urden gazed out over the lands, thinking about everything endured. If Regis had not escaped sooner — no, it didn't bear thinking about. What he knew had let them disarm the trap, though not without personal cost for Drizzt himself. He had caused his father's death, brought about the deaths of his House from afar, and now… personally slain his sister, both by dam and sire.
His only consolation had been seeing her less a zealot, more sane in her eyes even, as the light faded, letting him cast true blame upon Lloth once more. It had been Catti-brie who supposed the entire raid had been concocted as but one thread of a web, given how near it had been to losing Wulfgar to the yochlol, how strange that they had chosen to come for Drizzt inside the dwarven stronghold rather than upon the road some night when he would be alone.
Bruenor had thundered, and Wulfgar had pledged support, with Regis managing advice based on his studying Artemis Entreri while the human consorted with drow. Aid had come from the region, and it would be a long time before Menzoberranzan could stir from its cesspool of hate and anger.
Catti and Wulfgar needed to work upon their relationship. Regis still had much recovery to make from his ordeal. Bruenor had a much expanded clan to lead to prominence.
Drizzt?
He looked back to the road for salvation from that which ate at his soul. A passing remark from one of the Harpells had reminded him of unfinished business concerning a crystal… and a demon that had been defeated once.
There had never been any chance of an ending that led anywhere but to the Demonweb Pits, Vierna had known. Either she would arrive in favor, and become one of Lloth's own servitors in some form —
— or she would arrive in full disfavor to be tortured.
She had learned three things as she endured the torture, and then the bartering deal with the balor.
Her father was not in the Demonweb Pits. This had been clear while she was still tortured under the servants of Lolth. He would have been an instrument in those tortures, as she had, again, fallen into that strange emotion surrounding Zaknafein, on seeing how true to himself her brother had remained.
There was the fact that Lloth had never been worth her devotion. This point — she'd had sight of it in the fall of her House — had clarified when the religious madness fell from her eyes even as her brother was lowering her body to the floor. If she had only managed to learn it earlier, and used her power to protect the two males she'd felt strong emotions over!
And, somehow, this balor intended to use her against her brother. Errtu could not keep himself from alternately salivating over his plans against Drizzt Do'Urden or raging in a froth of madness over what the impertinent drow had done to him.
She would just have to help her brother beat the demon at his own game. Vierna was looking forward to his death at Drizzt's hands.
Drizzt's concerns about the demon had proven too correct. He finished cleaning Icingdeath, his mind turning over the words spit at him by the fiend before its death. The gloating, brash taunts of what Errtu meant to do with him — after Errtu finished rending the soul of one that Drizzt cared for — had been too in line with what he knew of the balors. They were incapable of getting over a defeat that had been meted out to them.
Only? Errtu had an advantage over him. The only person's soul that could possibly be at risk to the demon was his own father. Drizzt would no more leave the soul in peril than he ever would have risked the man in life, had he but been a little wiser.
He didn't dare not follow up on this, no matter the source. Since Drizzt had left Mithral Hall, burdened by the suffering, deaths, and his own actions, he'd been seeking a purpose. He would recover the damnable crystal, and trek to a land known to hold the knowledge of the ages. Surely he could learn what was needed to save his father and destroy both threats if he but tried hard enough.
With resolve etched in every line of his body and soul, Drizzt plunged into the frozen north once more, intent on his goals.
The Crystal Shard couldn't be tricked by Drizzt. Nor could it offer him what he wanted, not in a way that ever tempted the drow. The psychic effect of merely carrying it in a quiescent state was enough to make Drizzt constantly question his own mind as he traveled. Guen, on her visits to the Material Plane, also kept a watchful eye on him.
It was a necessary evil, bait for the demon that was seeking vengeance. After the not-so-minor trouble of getting back to it, finding it, Drizzt was just as relieved to find his next destination after a stop in Longsaddle. He'd kept the artifact's presence carefully hidden, indulged Harpell curiosity as some were in residence now that he had not met before.
"If you're dead set against leaning into the alliances you've made in Silverymoon," Bella began, the brighter eye rolling with what she thought of that and the dull one fixed on him, "you need to head for Tethyr, a small kingdom down there with a cathedral being built.
"The priest of Deneir, Chosen they say, will point you to the knowledge you need to deal with this demon you need to be rid of."
"It seems I should see if Captain Deudermont will aid me in my journeys, then," Drizzt said, not keen on going so far south once again, but he was no priest nor wizard, to be able to banish the demon for good… and with luck, this cleric might well know how to rid the realms of the Crystal Shard.
With the right tools, Drizzt Do'Urden would be willing to wager against the evil ones, and try to reclaim his father's soul from the Abyss.
"You could become a cleric of sufficient rank in the decades you have left. Or a wizard of strength," Cadderly mused at Drizzt, even as the wizened Chosen walked beside Drizzt in the garden, aware that Pikel and Ivan both were still keeping an eye on the solitary drow.
"They say time stretches in the Abyss, and I feel that taking the time to do so would further torment the one I seek to rescue. Likewise, I will make no bargain with a Power to become a warlock."
Cadderly looked at Drizzt then, leaning on his staff as they paused. "And yet you refuse your goddess Her offer?"
Drizzt flushed, looking down, and Cadderly knew the ranger had not expected that to be known. When he looked up, it was with an expression of sadness. "She has been good to me, and I will serve Her so long as She walks the path I view as right.
"But I do not trust myself with a spark of who She is."
"Which is of course why She would most want it to be you, for that very distrust, but. You have closed that door — for now — and having a pressing need to save one you care for. The vile artifact's destruction is what you seek, but not before you are able to barter with and defeat the balor.
"A complicated task you have set yourself, but I will set people to the research of it."
"Thank you; it is all I can ask."
Vierna felt something change in her captor. He was eager, close to success of some kind? She felt weaker than she had even in the moments after Lloth forsook the House. How could she aid her brother like this?
When the demon back-handed her for daring to spit in his direction, she lolled in her bonds, feigning unconsciousness and made the choice to reach out to a different power. Never again would she submit to the divine… but bargain with one? That she could — and would! — manage.
~Vhaeraun son of Araushnee and Corellon, god of drow,~ she prayed, all of her singular focus on inviting the Named One to take notice of her. Even now, out of favor and having renounced her former goddess, the names burned in her mind, invoking pain.
Pain that she further used to fuel her call to the one that could make her plans work — she would not fail! Her brother, the boy she had taught and raised, needed her, and this time, she was embracing that.
Little did she know that her very need to aid a male sibling was the right spark to bring the god's attention to her.
"As long as your darkness holds," Danica coached, "the thing will be destroyed."
Drizzt looked past her to the rather unassuming man with them, very little giving away his draconic nature.
"And Icingdeath will guard me from the flames," he reminded himself.
"Yes, a superb frostbrand," Vaeros said, having inspected the magic on the blade to be certain.
"The breach of magic has made it possible for the balor to come to a simple summoning," Drizzt recited. "I will offer the artifact, and then we will be 'attacked', at which point the crystal will burn while I hold darkness — and evade the enraged demon while protecting my father."
"Presuming that the captive is brought, and that it is your father," Danica agreed. "Should be simple for the drow that decimated Menzoberranzan's might."
Drizzt stared at her, then saw the twitch of her lips, and gave into the laughter at that outrageous elaboration of his part in the war of Mithral Hall.
"We will do this, Ranger, on our shared love of the Wilds," Vaeros said, once the laughter had worn off, with the effect of living Drizzt lighter in spirit.
"So we shall."
It was not Zaknafein.
That small fact half-broke Drizzt's willpower at first. He wanted to angrily decry that he didn't care about Vierna.
His heart knew that for a lie.
She looked mangled in the grasp of the demon, and trickles of blood had formed where the clawed hand pierced flesh.
She was conscious, and her eyes locked on his.
Distantly, he could remember the plan even as the sealed case with Crenshinibon hung from an outstretched hand, the demon gloating within the summoning circle.
His mind toured over early, harsh lessons. He recalled the gentle touches that had been rare and treasured. He remembered that someone had to have told Zaknafein of his speed and skill with both hands. He recalled the look of sanity in her eyes, at the end of her life, blood spilling from a wound he'd made in her.
Something in her eyes told him she trusted him, and that she was ready for whatever came next.
"Let her go, and you can have what you want."
"You think I am unaware of the treachery lurking in your soul, drow?" Errtu demanded, hand closing more —
— and Vierna uttered a quick phrase in formal drow, one that called upon Vhaeraun, god of the male drow. The next moment, she was small, transformed into a bat that eluded the demon's grasp, fluttering valiantly into the hood of the cloak Drizzt wore.
He prayed that was enough to protect her, as he gave himself over to the Hunter, Icingdeath more than eager to drink the blood of this balor once more. Errtu had no chance to evade, or even dispel the darkness, as Drizzt furiously fought for his life, the crystal's end, and for the daughter of his father.
Vierna awakened at the feeling of healing being pushed into her, the kind that traced fire in her veins, counter to her very nature but helping abate the last tortures' marks upon her.
She found herself looking into the purple eyes that had entranced her since his birth.
"We're in a small cave. I didn't want to impose on my allies," he told her softly. "You turned back to drow after the fight ended."
"I did not ask for it to be a permanent change," Vierna said, but she reached for his hand on her shoulder. "You can heal?"
"If my patron agrees, yes," he said, taking her hand and shifting so he could sit more comfortably and hold it. "Vhaeraun?"
"I promised Him I would become a potent cleric for Him, if He let me aid my troublesome little brother against the balor."
Her smile on those words provoked one from him.
"I thought it was my — our father."
"And yet, you still pushed through with the plan you had made." She squeezed his hand. "We will have peace, Drizzt. I swear it on my continued life."
He contemplated her words a long moment, then laid down on the bedroll, sliding an arm under her neck, tucking close to give her the warmth he had.
"Good. There's been enough strife for us both, I think."
She closed her eyes, shifting a little to be comfortable, and decided that he was still strange to her.
But she had become something different and wanted to embrace the strangeness with him.
Science
Jan. 6th, 2026 04:26 pmA striking 97.5% of women pursuing graduate degrees in STEM report moderate or higher levels of impostorism.
Nearly all women in STEM graduate programs report feeling like impostors, despite strong evidence of success. This mindset leads many to dismiss their achievements as luck and fear being “found out.” Research links impostorism to worse mental health, higher burnout, and increased thoughts of dropping out. Supportive environments and shifting beliefs about intelligence may help break the cycle.
That's probably because 97.5% of their male coworkers are misogynistic assholes, and so are a lot of people even outside of STEM.
After decades of being told that girls are bad at math, go play with dolls, harassment as soon as their breasts start growing, male students being put in charge of groups, professors stealing their work, getting lower grades than they deserve, struggling to find a job, their name being left off papers or awards, promotions going to less-qualified males, fighting for funds ... of course women realize that they are aren't wanted, aren't welcome, and nobody likes them.
The last 2.5% of women in STEM? They don't give a shit if people like them, and they aren't there to stroke anyone's ego or penis. Shut up and work. Impostor syndrome? It can be beaten to death with facts.
Several anti-phonetic alphabets.
Jan. 6th, 2026 10:02 am- 2026‑01‑06 - Several anti-phonetic alphabets.
- https://web.cs.dal.ca/~jamie/Words/alphabets,%20other.html
- redirect https://dotat.at/:/TY8GA
- blurb https://dotat.at/:/TY8GA.html
- atom entry https://dotat.at/:/TY8GA.atom
- web.archive.org archive.today
When You’re Walking The Walk You’re Not Stocking The Stock
Jan. 6th, 2026 09:00 pmRead When You’re Walking The Walk You’re Not Stocking The Stock
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Manager: "Why aren't you walking the customer to the dips?"
Me: "Because they didn't need me to. If they need me to guide them, I will."
Manager: "You should always walk the customer to the product."
Me: "If I did that every time I was asked by a customer where something was, I wouldn't be doing anything else."
Read When You’re Walking The Walk You’re Not Stocking The Stock
Birdfeeding
Jan. 6th, 2026 03:24 pmI fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Birdfeeding
Jan. 6th, 2026 03:23 pmI fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
(no subject)
Jan. 6th, 2026 04:07 pmRemix Through the Seasons is a quarterly, trope-based multifandom event hosted on ao3.
Participants will write one new story (between 1-5k) and then be assigned another story written for the event to remix. These stories can be in any fandom (including Original Work). Matching will be based on the stories' tropes (and creator DNWs) rather than pairings/fandoms. Remixing works from one fandom into another is allowed (even expected).
Schedule:
Signups open: Now!
Signups close: January 24
Assignments sent: January 31
Original works revealed: January 31
Remix works due: March 14
Remix works reveals: March 21
All author reveals: March 28
All due dates etc are at 11:59pm GMT on the listed date
DW Comm:
Ao3 Collection
(getting everything finalised involved spending a couple hours on a discord call editing the gdoc full of rules and only occasionally getting distracted talking about other things, which tbh is pretty good for how many moving parts there can be for stuff like this and how easy it can be to get sidetracked talking to your bestie. we think the rules are clear! ask questions [preferably on the comm] if they aren't! <3)
The Draft, 32-34 Harvard Ave. in Allston, which is already closed this week as punishment for the nine underage drinkers state investigators found there last Valentine's Day, is in trouble again, this time with the Boston Licensing Board, for the three underage drinkers a pair of BPD licensing detectives found there one night in October.
At a hearing this morning, Det. Eddie Hernandez said he and his partner might have dinged the bar for even more than three tippling younglings, but that as they were checking their second and third IDs of the night, other patrons noticed and "a majority of bar patrons immediately and rapidly walked out" - a number he estimated at between 75 and 100 people. The bar manager, he said, "didn't understand why all the patrons were leaving so suddenly."
Bar owner Derek Brady acknowledged the night of Oct. 16 was "mismanagement at its finest," said that he's tired of losing money at the Draft and that "we've entered into a deal trying to get out of operating this establishment in the future."
But Brady might have more problems to contend with after the licensing board votes on possible sanctions for "persons under 21 in possession of alcohol on premise" after acknowledging that the guy he had managing the bar at the time was a guy he had told the licensing board in 2024 that he would never hire again.
That man, Raji Pine, was involved in an incident that led to the closing of a downtown bar Brady co-owned - the Loyal 9, a rebrand of the fatal-to-visitors Sons of Boston - in which Pine may or may not have tried to strangle his then girlfriend in an office in the bar's basement.
Brady, who has long been friends with Pine, said he hired him to run the Draft in desperation in the fall after another, uncontroversial, manager abruptly quit and he couldn't find anybody else.
Brady acknowledged his friend "didn't do a good job" at the Draft, given what happened in October.
Board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce, who told Brady after the Loyal 9 incident she would carefully scrutinize any new bar ventures he might get involved in, asked if, given what happened with Loyal 9, it was a good business decision to re-hire his friend.
"No, I don't," he allowed, adding, however, "it's not easy to find good help."
Joyce asked Brady if he remembered promising not to employ him again, at a Sept. 24, 2024 hearing on the Loyal 9 incident.
"At this point, I'm sure it wasn't the right decision (to re-hire him), we'll be moving on from him," Brady said.
"So you say," a skeptical Joyce responded.
Brady said that the Draft might have done a better job at catching some of the bogus IDs if only its license scanner hadn't broken - in March.
"College kids have excellent fake IDs and it's tough to spot them without a machine," he said, adding the machines are "expensive to replace."
"Money right now with this establishment doesn't come easy," he continued. "It isn't doing well."
Hernandez and his partner, Sgt. Det. William Gallagher, use a phone-based ID-scanner app to check IDs - which Hernandez said said they used when they visited the Draft.
On the night of Valentine's Day, 2025, two inspectors from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission visited the Draft and found nine people between 17 and 20 with drinks that ranged between a Coors Light and a vodka cranberry. At the time, Brady told them his license scanner was broken, but told the commission at a hearing in April it was working again.
The commission voted to suspend the Draft's liquor license for four days, starting this past Monday.
The commission actually voted for a ten-day suspension, but agreed to hold the other six days in abeyance for two years, "provided no further violations" of state liquor laws occur.